Almost a quarter of English children are obese at the end of primary school

The researchers said soaring child obesity during the pandemic could be ascribed to poor habits acquired during lockdowns. Photograph: Alamy

Almost one in four children aged 10 and 11 in England are obese, according to the largest study of its kind – a finding that experts say exposes the “profound” and “alarming” long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Obesity rates increased by 45% in four-to-five-year-olds and by 21% in 10-to-11-year-olds during the first year of lockdowns, the analysis involving more than 1 million children reveals.